Xbox to get full-body motion sensor

updated 03:20 pm EDT, Fri May 1, 2009

by MacNN Staff

Xbox Full Body Sensor Leak

Microsoft will try to chase after the Nintendo Wii's popularity by introducing a motion controller of its own, a photo leak implies. In place of detecting the behavior of a controller as with the Wii, the Xbox 360 peripheral shown to Engadget would amount only to a bar with two sensors, a microphone and a webcam that all detect players' body movements. Users could mimic the exact actions of the characters they control, such as punching or jumping, and could perform general interface actions such as pinching or scrolling.

The audiovisual recording would be used to participate in video chats and for specific games, such as trivia titles where a hand clap could replace a buzzer. It would be smart enough to recognize the differences between those simply sitting in the background versus standing and actively participating in a game or chat session.

Although the rumor is new and doesn't have any immediate corroboration, the photo appears to show a working prototype and arrives just over a month before the E3 gaming event, when all three major console makers are likely to show their latest advancements. It also appears as rumors have appeared that Sony is also planning a PS3 motion controller of its own, albeit a more conventional example than what Microsoft may introduce.

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TOTAL_COMMENTS Comments

Typical monkey see monkey do from the big guys who spend billions on "research".

When will someone realize that sensing motion from a distance is the same as voice recognition. Very hard to do well.

Sooner or later a true innovator like Apple, Google or Nintendo will realize that sensing motion at the user is more accurate, requires less processing overhead and can be retrofitted for all existing computers globally.

That's a huge huge market.

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